A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 10 eBook

Having now got back to the western entrance of the
straits, they made sail for the coast of Chili, which
the general maps represented as trending N.W. but
which they found to the east of N. so that these coasts
had not been fully discovered, or very inaccurately
represented, for the space of 12 degrees at least,
either for the purpose to deceive, or through ignorance.
Proceeding northwards along the coast of Chili, they
came to the island of Mocha, in 38 deg. 30’ S.
latitude, on the 29th November, where they cast anchor.
The admiral went here ashore with ten men, and found
the island inhabited by a people who had fled from
the extreme cruelty of the Spaniards, leaving their
original habitations on the continent, to enjoy their
lives and liberties in security. These people
at first behaved civilly to the admiral and his men,
bringing them potatoes and two fat sheep, promising
also to bring them water, and they received some presents
in return. Next day, however, when two men went
ashore with barrels for water, the natives suddenly
assailed and killed them. The reason of this
outrage was, that they mistook the English for Spaniards,
whom they never spare when they fall into their hands.

Continuing their course along the coast of Chili,
they met an Indian in a canoe, who mistook them for
Spaniards, and told them of a great Spanish ship at
St Jago, laden for Peru. Rewarding him for this
intelligence, the Indian conducted them to where the
ship lay at anchor, in the port of Valparaiso, in
lat. 33 deg. 40’ S.[27] All the men on board
were only eight Spaniards and three negroes, who, supposing
the English to have been friends, welcomed them with
beat of drum, and invited them on board to drink Chili
wine. The English immediately boarded and took
possession; when one of the Spaniards leapt overboard,
and swam ashore to give notice of the coming of the
English. On this intelligence, all the inhabitants
of the town, being only about nine families, escaped
into the country. The admiral and his men landed,
and rifled the town and its chapel, from which they
took a silver chalice, two cruets, and an altar cloth.
They found also in the town a considerable store of
Chili wine, with many boards of cedar wood, all of
which they carried on board their ships. Then
setting all the prisoners on shore, except one named
John Griego, born in Greece, who was detained as a
pilot, the admiral directed his course for Lima, the
capital of Peru, under the guidance of this new pilot.